Groundwater and Naturally Occurring Uranium in Texas

Uranium (Nuclear Minerals) / Exploration, Mining, Marketing, & Acquisitions

Date posted: 03/01/15

Signal geologists suggest that there are many shallow uranium deposits along the lower coastal plain of Texas that are commonly associated with oil and gas resources. Where uranium is present, the surrounding rock and groundwater register as radioactive because rock contains minerals that exhibit the natural uranium decay process. In 2003, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established a Maximum Contaminant Level or MCL for uranium concentrations in drinking water of 30 micrograms per liter - approximately 30 parts per billion - or the equivalent of 30 grains of salt in a billion grains of sugar. To ensure compliance with the new MCL in Texas, the EPA and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality - TCEQ - mandated that public drinking water supplies be tested for uranium concentrations. Many Texas water wells have naturally occurring uranium concentrations above the EPA drinking water standard. This phenomenon was documented during testing that was conducted by a government NURE program initiated in the 1970s. The program goal was to assess the uranium concentration in addition to other elements in groundwater samples collected throughout the United States, and to assess the general water quality , but to locate naturally occurring uranium mineralization for energy supplies. In fact, out of more than 17,000 wells sampled in Texas, a total of 435 wells were identified as having uranium concentrations above EPA standards.